Third Day opens hearts, minds with 'Revelation'

|PIC1|When Third Day's newest project kicks off with vocalist Mac Powell declaring "I'm the son of a good man/I'm the child of an angel," you don't get the sense the statement is necessarily autobiographical. It's personal yet universal; a reflection of man's never-ending search for his identity.

That thread of searching for definition plays throughout Revelation, the veteran Atlanta-based band's 11th studio album, set to release on July 29. For Powell and his longtime bandmates - guitarist Mark Lee, bassist Tai Anderson and drummer David Carr - that search involved stepping out of their physical comfort zone by recording the project in Los Angeles, and out of their creative comfort zone by bringing in producer Howard Benson, known for his work with artists such as Daughtry, P.O.D., Flyleaf and Hoobastank.

The result is a muscular sound, strung taut with hooks and hat-tips to its Southern-rock influences, but also a real, palpable vulnerability in both song matter and performance.

"As we mature in our faith, we come to a point where we realize that everything is not black and white. The older you get, the more questions you have," Powell says. "The point is that it's okay that we don't have all the answers - but we know the One who does."

Just as this season of definition for Third Day involved bringing Benson into the fold, other artists step into to the creative mix as well, such as Chris Daughtry on the track "Slow Down," Flyleaf's Lacey Mosely on "Run To You" and "Born Again" and pedal steel guitar wizard Robert Randolph on "Otherside."

But it's the core of Third Day that pushed them to this bigger, more polished and yet edgier musical stance, with lyrics designed to relate to a broad swath of the human and Christian experience.

"So many Christians have a story of being lost, experiencing Christ and then their lives are all better. But for the ones who were brought up in Christian homes or who have been Christians for most of their lives, are they supposed to have it all together?" Anderson asks.

"These songs are for people who are walking through something, right now. They add a tension that can only be found in our daily experience."

The 13-song album's first single, the aching love song "Call My Name," releases to Christian radio on April 4, and sets the stage for the album's release on July 29, followed by a summer of US festival appearances and an ambitious US fall tour schedule together with Switchfoot and Robert Randolph & The Family Band.

Over the past decade, Third Day has racked up 24 No. 1 radio singles and sold more than six million albums, with RIAA certifications including one Platinum record, one Platinum DVD, and six Gold records.

The band has garnered 23 career Dove Awards, three GRAMMY Awards (with eight career nominations), two consecutive American Music Award nods, multiple ASCAP honours, and has developed a historic partnership with Chevrolet.

Third Day has maintained a touring record second-to-none by playing for audiences reaching into the millions. In addition to these many accolades, the band is most proud of its humanitarian efforts that include raising nearly $300,000 for the victims of hurricanes Katrina and Rita and charities such as the Blood:Water Mission.

The band is responsible for encouraging more than 15,000 fans to sponsor children across the globe through the work of World Vision. For more information on Third Day, please visit: www.ThirdDay.com.

Third Day are Distributed in the UK by Integrity-Provident Distribution. They are hoping to schedule UK concert dates for early 2009. Please check www.thirdday.co.uk regularly for updates by the concert promoters, Big Ideas and Trevor King Ltd.